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"34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”"
The fact is...none of us can love perfectly. Not you, not me, no one. Only God.
There is nothing greater than love, but you have a difficult time acknowledging that - like so many others.
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows
God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-8).
So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love
abide in God, and God abides in them (1 John 4:16).
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God loved us first....Romans 5:8 states that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You are correct that HIS faithfulness and unfailing love toward humanity precedes our faith--but we don't become Christians by our love. As Paul said in Romans 5....we were sinners before God loved us.
Who said anything about being a sinner or becoming a Christian?
Do you believe you own the rights to that of having faith or loving others?
"Faith takes knowing what love can accomplish."
It’s the only aspect of life to which we can participate.
Everything else consists of pride and arrogance.
The tactics are where we differ substantially. Some believe that non-stop proselytizing is the way to go. Putting prayers into schools. Trying to turn the United States into an explicitly Christian government. Banging on doors and inviting neighbors and strangers to church with them.
Others believe that this method is counterproductive and turns more people away than it brings in. For the more public Christianity's profile becomes the worse it looks. For every preacher you like, there's the televangelist who has betrayed the faith in the most grotesque ways. For every passage you quote about love, there's the Westboro Baptist folks interrupting the funerals of soldiers. Christianity, for anyone who cares to study its history, is a faith with blood on its hands. In the imagination of history, there's everything from the early riots between differing sects to the Reformation to the Inquisition to the Salem Witch Trials to Prohibition to the Catholic Church's ongoing battles to stamp out child sexual abuse. And all of these disconnects with the original intent of our faith began with a seed of hubris, an unshakable belief in one's rightness, rather than the humble discussion of how God brings comfort, meaning, and understanding to a broken world. You see that in this board all the time from the people who think they know God's intent and meaning better than anyone else. They obsess over sin, over which verse of the Bible trumps the other, but they seem less willing to discuss grace and love.
Instead, I offer we should be as much a listening faith as a talking one. After all, to quote Matthew, whoever has ears let them hear. Hey, Christ asked us to not pray in public because that's what the hypocrites do. That doesn't stop large segments of the faith insisting on invocations at high school football games. Instead, I think St. Francis said it best: "Preach the Gospel at all times. Sometimes even using words." Remember that Christianity moved through the world in its first 300 years quietly, not through television evangelists or mass rallies. Instead, much of the time, Christianity was a subversive faith, spread one discreet conversation at a time as a believer shared the good news with someone who asked. Instead of publicly clucking tongues at the failings of others, try to create a better world by being a source of comfort and hope. I think that is at the heart of Christ's message. It's not the easy way, but it is the way that leads to lasting results.
Last edited by MinivanDriver; 08-29-2017 at 05:41 PM..
The mission is to bring people to Christ.
The tactics are where we differ substantially. Some believe that non-stop proselytizing is the way to go. Putting prayers into schools. Trying to turn the United States into an explicitly Christian government. Banging on doors and inviting neighbors and strangers to church with them.
Others believe that this method is counterproductive and turns more people away than it brings in. For the more public Christianity's profile becomes the worse it looks. For every preacher you like, there's the televangelist who has betrayed the faith in the most grotesque ways. For every passage you quote about love, there's the Westboro Baptist folks interrupting the funerals of soldiers. Christianity, for anyone who cares to study its history, is a faith with blood on its hands. In the imagination of history, there's everything from the early riots between differing sects to the Reformation to the Inquisition to the Salem Witch Trials to Prohibition to the Catholic Church's ongoing battles to stamp out child sexual abuse. And all of these disconnects with the original intent of our faith began with a seed of hubris, an unshakable belief in one's rightness, rather than the humble discussion of how God brings comfort, meaning, and understanding to a broken world. You see that in this board all the time from the people who think they know God's intent and meaning better than anyone else. They obsess over sin, over which verse of the Bible trumps the other, but they seem less willing to discuss grace and love.
Instead, I offer we should be as much a listening faith as a talking one. After all, to quote Matthew, whoever has ears let them hear. Hey, Christ asked us to not pray in public because that's what the hypocrites do. That doesn't stop large segments of the faith insisting on invocations at high school football games. Instead, I think St. Francis said it best: "Preach the Gospel at all times. Sometimes even using words." Remember that Christianity moved through the world in its first 300 years quietly, not through television evangelists or mass rallies. Instead, much of the time, Christianity was a subversive faith, spread one discreet conversation at a time as a believer shared the good news with someone who asked. Instead of publicly clucking tongues at the failings of others, try to create a better world by being a source of comfort and hope. I think that is at the heart of Christ's message. It's not the easy way, but it is the way that leads to lasting results.
As Jesus taught at Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8 that his followers would Not be trying to convert the world, but would serve as a witness to the nations before the end comes of all badness on Earth.
Jesus knew MANY would come in his name but prove false according to Matthew chapter 7.
Jesus said at Luke 4:43 that his purpose was to preach (and teach) about the coming kingdom of God (Daniel 2:44).
At Luke 10:1 Jesus instructed his followers to go out in pairs.
At Acts 16:13-14 they preached informally 'down by the river side' ( Think there is an old song about that )
More formally, according to Acts 20:20, Jesus' followers went house to house ( one-on-one discreet conversation )
Jesus' followers taught daily in houses of worship besides people's houses according to Acts 5:42.
So, I find they took the initiative to approach people whether at home or at other places such as reasoning with people at the market places - Acts 17:2,17.
Years ago I remember hearing that blue jeans were banned in one country. So, followers of Jesus from another area would wear blue jeans to that area and people would approach them and try to buy the jeans. At that point Jesus' followers would say because of the law they could Not sell their jeans to them but that they had something even better and of course shared free of charge with the people the good news about God's coming kingdom government, so where there is a will there is a way to accomplish what Jesus said to do at Matthew 28:18-20.
Wrong, Jesus and his spirit it the source !! you worship Love.. fluffy Love that lets you feel good in your bondage. it does not set anyone free from it.
John knew what the kingdom should look like... in context is bestest..
Isa 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on me; because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the humble; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Isa 61:2
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
Isa 61:3 to appoint to those who mourn in Tziyon, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
Isa 61:4
They shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
Isa 61:5
Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers.
Isa 61:6
But you shall be named the Kohanim of the LORD; men shall call you the ministers of our God: you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall you boast yourselves.
Isa 61:7
Instead of your shame you shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be to them.
Isa 61:8
For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isa 61:9
Their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD has blessed.
Isa 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isa 61:11
For as the eretz brings forth its bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
John the baptist Knew what the kingdom Looked like ... he just didn't realize it would be played out in two parts or two times .
There is nothing greater than love, but you have a difficult time acknowledging that - like so many others.
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows
God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-8).
I completely agree. What have I said to suggest otherwise? We are called to love others. I completely agree.
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So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love
abide in God, and God abides in them (1 John 4:16). Who said anything about being a sinner or becoming a Christian?
John did. You know...the same guy you quoted above about love? He said the one who says he has no sin is a liar and has deceived himself.
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Do you believe you own the rights to that of having faith or loving others?
No. Do you?
Quote:
"Faith takes knowing what love can accomplish."
What verse is that?
Quote:
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It’s the only aspect of life to which we can participate.
Everything else consists of pride and arrogance.
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Again...no argument there. What have I said otherwise that suggests I don't believe we should not have love?
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No, He didn't. Peace
